Prince Harry meets families of bomb disposal experts at special St Paul's service

Royal occasion: Prince Harry talks to Sapper Clive Smith, 2nd right, and Sapper Jack Cummings, right, who both lost their legs in Afghanistan in 2010
PA
Hannah Al-Othman22 October 2015

Prince Harry has met families of bomb disposal experts killed in action at a special service to mark the 75th anniversary of armed forces' explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) units.

During the service, which was held at St Paul's Cathedral, the prince, who served in the British Army in Afghanistan, crouched down to chat and joke with two engineers who lost their legs in the conflict.

The moving ceremony paid tribute to those who served as bomb disposal experts over the decades, both in the UK and abroad, from those who worked on Luftwaffe bombs in the Blitz to those who served in Northern Ireland and more recent conflicts.

The congregation of 1,500 service personnel and families heard a number of BBC news headlines about bombings broadcast through a speaker, including that of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle, who was killed by the IRA in 1979.

Service Prince Harry leaving with Lord Mayor of London Alderman Alan Yarrow and wife Gilly
PA

The service included poignant addresses from Ian Kirkpatrick, whose son Corporal Jamie Kirkpatrick was killed in Afghanistan.

He told the congregation: "It is extremely difficult to put into words what Jamie's loss has meant to us, his family and his many friends.

"We recall many family celebrations and events that would, under normal circumstances, be a source of happiness, but which are now inevitably a source of sadness too.

"We continue to reflect on all the ongoing events that he is now not around to witness and therefore seem somehow incomplete."

Musician and television presenter Jools Holland, who is honorary colonel of Cpl Kirkpatrick's unit, 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment also spoke during the service.

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